It is often desirable, if not necessary, to create enlarged images containing textual and/or graphical information. Enlarged images of this kind have a number of potential uses, including announcements, teaching aids, as well as presentations, both professional and non-professional. Unfortunately, the existing mechanisms capable of providing suitable enlargements, particularly of graphical or non-textual images, are either very expensive, limited in applicability, or both.
One solution to this problem involves the use of photographic techniques, whereby multiple pictures, each representing a portion of the image to be enlarged, may be assembled, for example, on a backboard of some kind. Such an approach is at least implied in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,897,943 and 4,897,944 to Otake and Otake et al, respectively. This approach is not only expensive, due to the fact that photographic enlargements are costly, but time-consuming, both in terms of the photo finishing involved and the integration and assembly of the various images onto a suitable support structure. Additionally, it is often difficult to control color and contrast from photograph to photograph, resulting in an unsuitable, visually apparent demarcation between the final, assembled enlargement.
Although some software programs and modules do exist which are capable of performing an enlargement function, their utility is significantly limited in scope. Most, for example, allow only enlarged displays of text from a banner or text file, for use at parties, and so forth, and cannot accommodate graphical images. Nor do such programs allow for certain conveniences, such as variable segmentation, print preview, and other utilities essential to a workable human interface. None involve printing on pre-scored output labels or other media in order to avoid the need to cut away or otherwise remove unwanted borders that surround printed images. The need remains, therefore, for an enlargement system capable of importing images from a variety of sources while allowing a great deal of user interaction and possibilities respecting final segmentation and assembly.